The Illustrated Routine
by zephy-mama
Summary: Set after Season 3 no pairings yet who is the mystery girl?One mystery solved, another follows..Chapter 6 up!
1. Prologue: No Reunion

**Prologue: No Reunion**

_Flashback_

Explosion.

Fire.

Pain.

Breathe, no breathe.

Mental screams.

Screams.

Silence, blessed silence.

Medical Notes: Jane Doe, burn victim. No ID on her when she came in. Nobody came forward to identify her.

Sleeping.

Morphine drip.

Daily debridment of dead skin.

Tank session of soaks.

Still Jane Doe slept on.

Whimpering.

Crying.

Cringing.

Still sleeping.

MRI and Cat scans: reveal a high amount of brain activity.

The girl slept on, blissfully unaware of her surroundings and the medical treatments to save her life and heal the burns. Then several surgeries to attach skin grafts.

The nurse silently cried when she shaved the girl of her red hair, knowing that it was her last vestment of anybody identifying her.

_Present Day_

It was very dark when she approached the last place she had called home. Many months had gone by since that eventful night at Naxxcom, since the explosion that left her burned, scared and no longer able to use her powers. Several months spent at a burn unit when she didn't know her name, her friends, or her home.

She had hitchhiked and walked her way back her once she started remembering who she was and where she belonged. She imagined the faces of her friends: the blond female, the dark-haired male who she thought of as her brother, the blond male that she had been getting close to, and the older dark-haired male who was more of a father to her than her own father.

That night as she rounded the last turn and she could finally see the mountain she had called home, she was greeted by an unexpected sight. Her home was in smoking ruins. Tears sprung to her blue eyes and she sunk to her knees there in the clearing. Her home was no longer. Her friends weren't there! She needed to find out what happened.

She rushed into the remains and picked through the wreckage. She recognized pieces of her former life: a few torn pictures and the wallpaper. She found the computer system, which was still partially working. Booting it up, she found the database stripped, the operating system failed with no clue as to who or what happened to her friends.

She wondered aimlessly around the complex, until she came out on the plateau above it. There she found one answer: a plaque that held her name and one of her friend's names too. The dates matched up to the night she had lost her mind. They thought she had died that night, and she might as well have. Realization struck her. Her father figure was dead too.

For the second time that night, she sunk to her knees and cried.


	2. Is it Possible? Act I

**Act I – Is it Possible?**

_An hour earlier_

She must have cried herself to sleep out there beside the plaques because she awoke some time later; her legs, pins and needles from falling asleep. She remembered seeing some blankets in the ruins below, so she painfully made her way back to the ruins where she curled up and slept.

_One Night Earlier_

The dusty air slowly cleared. Lexa found Jesse and pulled him out of the rubble that was what was left of the Dominion headquarters. They shakily found their other teammates, one by one.

Except for Adam.

They made a hasty retreat in a shocked daze.

Sanctuary, their home, was gone!

The Double Helix was destroyed.

Brennan hot-wired a SUV they found in the remains of the motor pool. They drove in agonized silence to one of the safe houses, knowing the next few days were going to difficult, rebuilding their lives.

_The next morning_

The young woman woke suddenly, confused by her surroundings. Her face itched and she absentmindedly scratched some of her numerous scars, a reminder of the explosion that night that changed her life dramatically.

She stumbled over, half walking, half crawling, among the rubble to where she remembered where the pantry had been, looking for something to eat. Only a few stale saltines, which were quickly scarffed down. The rest was rusted and warped cans, with no can opener to be found in the debris.

She made her way to the garage area, hoping to find a car or motorcycle that was still useable. Her blond friend's Ninja was there, mostly unscathed. She remembered several happy rides from before, but they quickly replaced by the reality of today. Trying to remember her friend's name, she started the Ninja.

It started up right away. Remembering the locations of the safe houses in the valley below, she headed in the direction of the closest one. Once there, she was happy to discover that her old codes worked; happy both for her remembering them and that they still worked. Some of her memories were still returning. She still couldn't remember the names of her friends, just their faces.

Momentarily forgetting to set the security codes in favor of settling her protesting stomach, she made a peanut butter sandwich. Satisfied, she set the codes and took a long hot shower, and then raided the medical supplies for aloe vera cream for her numerous scars. Staring at her disfigured face, she wondered how her friends would react and if they would still remember her, if they were still alive even.

She slowly walked over to the workstation, limping slightly from muscle fatigue. She brushed up against the table and a cloud of dust floated away. How long had that safe house been closed up and abandoned? The young woman painfully bent down and searched under the desk for the power strip.

Sighing to herself she waited for the computer to boot up, absently rubbing a scar on her face, a habit she had picked up over the past month or so. She started searching for news of her friends. A story caught her eye, from yesterday's news articles. "Mid-town warehouse explosion, numerous casualties." That tidbit of news pleased her for some odd reason.

She decided to confirm and see if the message system was still operational. With wobbly hands and acute anxiety, she slowly typed, "Reporting in. Status? Situation? E."

Exhaustion combined with the food in her stomach soon over took her. She curled up on the couch and slept hard, confident in the security system.

_Several hours later_

Clearing out the queue of messages in the system, one struck Lexa as odd. She opened it to read.

She saw Jesse asleep a few feet away, his golden hair plastered to his head. An odd thought flashed through her mind. "I bet he sucked his thumb when he was a little kid." Her foot connected with his shins. "Did you de-activate all of the security codes?" Her voice was hard.

Jesse was instantly alert to the tone in Lexa's voice. "Yes, I did that before I cloned and wiped the hard drive."

"Come, look at this." She pointed at the screen.

Jesse whistled under his breath. "The one shouldn't be active. Either someone is playing a horrible trick on us, or some one knows the codes from a few months ago."

"Well, it is active now. And it was used a few hours ago at Safe house #12," Lexa read off the timestamp and glanced up at Shalimar who was noisily stumbling into the room,

"Whose code is it?" Shal asked, having only heard half of the conversation.

"Come, take a look." Jesse pointed. "It couldn't be though, she's dead. And I thought I had that de-activated."

"Jesse, don't joke with me," Shalimar turned pale when Jesse shook his head.

"I'm not joking, Shal. Someone is using Emma's last code."

Grasping a chairback to steady herself, she asked shakily, "Nobody else knows her code, right?"

"Nobody but Emma."

"But she's dead!" Shal was in shock and disbelief at the facts presented in front of her.

Brennan lurched into the crowded room. "What? Where?" he asked as he looked around at his remaining teammates, seeing the confusion and shock.

Lexa pulled up another screen on another computer, trying to access the video system at that location.

Brennan read the cryptic message and reached over Jesse's shoulder to type in an answer. Their hearts sank when there was no response back.

"Guys, there is someone there," Lexa said slowly as she fiddled with the focus. A shadowy figure was visible sitting at the computers, wet hair plastered down. Another camera shot showed the female walking to the living room area, her face distorted with scars and streaked wet with tears.

"Is the mutant recognition database up yet?" Shalimar asked. Her eyes had to be deceiving her! Oh, Lord, that could not be! It had to be a cruel mistake, a glitch in the system, anything! She could not handle it if Emma was actually still alive, after all these months of believing she was dead. _No man left behind!_ flashed through her head and she swallowed hard.

"Downloading it now," Jesse booted it up and let it run through the females.

One match surfaced.

Emma DeLauro, deceased.

Shal sank into the chair she had been gripping with whitened knuckles, and voicing the question they all had in the front of their minds, "How is that possible?"


	3. Hope Against Hope: Act II

**Hope Against Hope** – Act II 

"It can't be her!"

"Holy shit!"

"But I watched her die!"

"Damn."

"How?"

"Why?"

The questions flew among them. Jesse typed another message, his fingers shaking visibly. Lexa stood behind him, hand pressed on his shoulders. She alone knew about his nightmares about Emma.

"Shalimar, Brennan, why don't you two take the car and head over there. Lexa and I will keep trying to get an answer."

Shalimar looked at Brennan and nodded. They separated, each pondering the possibility that it was really Emma. Which lead to more questions.

_Where had she been all these months? Why had she not contacted them before this?_

_At Safehouse #12_

The girl slowly awoke to the insistent beeping of the computer. She stumbled back over to the console, slowly realizing that the beeping meant an answer to her message. The first response was short: "Message received and acknowledged. B." Who was B? She should know that one, as surely as she knew her own name.

A second message popped up while she pondered who "B" was: "Recite a line of Walt Whitman." That clue finally clicked in: Brennan! She quickly typed in: "I wander all night in my vision, stepping with light feet, swiftly and noiselessly stepping and stopping. From the Night poem." She smiled to herself as she typed the answer, as she actually was remembering some more things.

The third message was, "Who is this?" She wiped some tears out of her eyes as she continued on, "Depends on who this is? What happened to Sanctuary? And to Adam? Where is everybody? I've missed you all terribly."

"Is that really you, Emma? We thought you had died in the Naxxcom explosion. What happened? Where have you been? Why didn't you contact us before this?" Jesse rapidly fired the questions back.

By now Emma was crying harder and reaching for some tissues to blow her nose, as she remembered that awful night, "Well, I was badly burned and have been in a burn unit. They told me I was in a coma until about a month ago. I couldn't remember anything, not my name, not my home, until last week. Then the only thing I wanted to do was to come back home. I've hitchhiked and walked my way back home." Emma wanted so much to hug who ever was at the other end.

"Is someone coming for me?" she concluded sadly. "They'll be there shortly, Emma." Jesse smiled as he called Shalimar and Brennan. "Shal, Brennan, it is Emma." "Alright, Jesse, we are just pulling up," Brennan answered.

Shalimar held her hand to her mouth as Brennan unlocked the door. They slipped inside, bypassing the security system. Shal impatiently ran ahead and stopped in disbelief. She couldn't help but gasp when she saw the scars on the girl's face as she searched for her friend's resemblance. "Emma?" she asked tentatively, not trusting her eyes.

The red head spun around at the question, "Shalimar!" she whispered through her tears, frozen to the chair.

Shal crossed the distance between them in a lea and engulfed her long lost friend in a big hug, tears streaming down her face echoing Emma's, "Oh, honey, what happened? Where have you been? I missed you so much." Emma snuggled into Shal's embrace, finally relaxing, not trusting her voice just yet.

Brennan patiently waited his turn. After a few minutes of hugging and crying between the three, Emma wiped her face and launched into what she knew had gone on since the explosion.

"Oh, honey!" was Shal's only words she could manage for several minutes.

Then it was Emma's turn to ask questions about Sanctuary and Adam. Shalimar and Brennan exchanged glances before telling her that Adam was alive too – at least up until the explosion two nights ago.

"Adam's not dead?" Emma was incredulous. At last there was a little spark of hope ahead of her. She absentmindedly scratched her face and regretted it as soon as her hands came back bloody. "Damn!" she muttered under her breath.

Brennan ran for the medical supplies and the dermal debreider that Emma had overlooked earlier. The scratch staunched, Emma asked how Jesse was. Shal looked painfully away trying to mask her emotions. "What is it, Shal?" Emma asked, fearful that Jesse was injured. "Is he badly hurt?"

"No. Jesse's fine. He isn't injured. It's just..." Brennan's voice trailed off. He didn't want to be the one to break the news to Emma about Lexa and Jesse's relationship.

"Just what, Brennan?" Emma searched his face for the answer to his hesitation.

"Oh, nothing, Emma," Shalimar finally said something. "There is a new member of our team though. Part of the first Mutant X team, a chromomolecular named Lexa Pierce."

"Oh," Emma said as she looked from one to the other. Without her telempathy, she was forced to read the body language and was quite confused by what she was observing. They were hiding from her. She'd find out soon enough. They would probably find out soon enough about her secret.

They made their way back to the SUV and loaded the Ninja into the back. Brennan drove while Shal kept an eye on Emma from the front seat. There was an uneasy silence the whole way back.

At the other safe house, Shal watched fearfully as Emma ran ahead of them to see Jesse. She was quite nimble in spite of her stiff muscles. Shalimar exchanged glances with Brennan, hoping that Emma wouldn't see anything untoward with Jesse and Lexa, at least not yet.

Emma rounded the corner and skidded to an abrupt stop just inside the doorway, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle her startled gasp. Shalimar's heart sank when her feral ears picked up the sound.

Lexa looked up when she heard the muffled gasp in the doorway, having been kissing Jesse deeply and ruffling his hair, awaiting their return.

Jesse spun around, "Emma!" he cried, but Emma was already running away in the other direction. "Shit!"


	4. The First Crack: Act III

**The First Crack (Act III)**

The slamming of the door and the audible finality of the lock clicking echoed throughout the hallway of the house. Shalimar groaned aloud, "Well, that went over well, I'll take it." She remarked to Brennan. "Wonder who did what?" Several scenarios flashed before her eyes.

Brennan shook his head slowly as he finished pulling the Ninja out of the SUV. "Shall we see what damage can be taken care of?" he asked and trailed off, as Shalimar was already halfway down the hall to where Jesse and Lexa had been waiting.

One look around the room, seeing Jesse's dumbfounded face and Lexa's telltale smirk reminded Shal of an old song, "_If a picture paints a thousand words_..."

Lexa stared at Jesse's back intently; fully aware of the inner turmoil he was going through. She remembered the long nights that he had gone through after Emma's supposed death, before he came to trust her. Theirs was a strange relationship that had taken time to forge and grow.

Now Emma was back, and that threatened her. It threatened Jesse too. She wondered briefly how it was going to turn out for all of them.

"Jesse, what happened?" Shalimar asked as she strolled across to them.

"I don't know. One minute she was here, the next she was gone." Shal's eyes narrowed.

"And what were you two doing? No, don't tell me, you were kissing," Shal guessed as Jesse nodded and Lexa looked away, not so much guilty as much as frustration. Shalimar continued, "That was real brilliant, Jess," as she cuffed him on the shoulder. "Just brilliant. We haven't seen her in months, and she has to see you two kissing right off. You could have broken it to her a little more subtly."

Shal ran back up the hallway and knocked on the door where Emma had disappeared. "Emma? Please open the door."

"Go away, Shal, please," came Emma's hoarse reply.

"Emma, please. Let me explain."

"There is no need to explain. I can see what has been going on," Emma continued to herself, _even if I couldn't sense it, there's too much going on."_ She slumped on the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest and bawled. She was shocked more than anything, even more than last night at Sanctuary's ruins. She had no place here, not since she had nothing to contribute to the team, and Lexa so obviously had a place here.

Shal knocked a few more times, and then gave up when Brennan dragged her away to the other room. She glared icy daggers at Jesse and Lexa, wanting to kill both of them. Emma looked so vulnerable and lost at the other safehouse. She couldn't imagine being away that long from her "pride" with no contact like Emma had just gone through.

A silence enveloped the group for several minutes. Shal's feral hearing picked up Emma's muffled sobbing in the other room and her heart broke with each breath.

"So, now what?" Brennan broke the silence.

Lexa shrugged and Jesse ran his hands through his hair nervously. Shal continued to give them the icy stares, her eyes flashing to gold briefly as she fought the urge to strangle them.

"I guess I should go talk to her," Jesse said quietly. He didn't move right away.

Brennan kicked his shins, "Go, Jesse. Right now you're probably the only one who can talk sense to her."

Lexa brushed his hand and headed to the kitchen, feeling the distrust from Shal and Brennan. She rummaged through the cupboards and found some canned meats to fix for their lunch.

Shal crossed her arms and glared until Jesse walked down the hallway. He knocked and then phased through the door. He sat down on the edge of the bed, wringing his hands as he chose his words carefully. Emma froze when she felt the bed move. "Emma, I sorry that you came in at the worst possible moment."

Emma rolled to the other side of the bed putting as much distance between her and Jesse. Jesse swallowed hard.

"It didn't happen over night. I grieved a long time for you and Adam. Our team floundered with out you two. The Dominion sent Lexa to complete our team. They've been controlling the team for a long time before that obliquely. You should give Lexa a chance, and get to know her. She helped all of us come back, and we helped her after her brother Leo was killed..." A flash of the memory of that day reminded Jesse of why he was here.

Emma continued to ignore him, showing no response to him or his words. He reached over and touched her back, wincing as she visibly recoiled from him. "Let me check those scars, Emma, to see if Adam's equipment here can fix them."

Emma took a ragged breath. "Why bother, Jesse? There's no place here for me anymore. I don't..." she trailed off.

"Emma, that's a load of bull shit! You always have a place on the team, no matter what. We've missed you terribly."

Emma rolled over and regarded Jesse with her bloodshot and hollow eyes, before she said anything, trying to feel something. "No, there isn't, Jesse. You've got Lexa now, both on the team, and in your heart obviously. I wouldn't be surprised if Shalimar and Brennan are together too. I'd be the odd man out. I don't have anything to contribute anymore..."she spit out the words as her eyes brimmed over.

Jesse reached his hand over. "Emma, don't say that. You're a psionic with unlimited and unimagined potential."

Emma slapped his hand away, "Jesse, no I don't." Her voice rose as she pointed at her head, "I don't have this anymore, no psiblast, no telempathy, nothing. Not even a peek." She sat on the side of the bed, opposite Jesse, wishing for him to go away. There it was said, out in the open. "If only Adam was here, he'd figure..."

Jesse sat in silence again, shocked by what he just heard. "We don't have all the equipment that was at Sanctuary. Let me run a few scans and we can figure it out together."

"No, Jesse. There is nothing you can do." She got up and opened the door. "Go, please. I'll be leaving tomorrow. Get me a new identity ready. I need to move on." Emma waited pointedly for Jesse to leave. "Please, Jesse. I'm tired and I want to sleep for awhile."

He reluctantly left, thinking hard of what to do for her.

Emma refused to leave her room, pretending to be asleep each time somebody knocked on the door, not wanting to face their pity.

Each dealt with Emma's presence in different ways. Shalimar alternately paced the hallway, listening at the door, and sitting in different positions on the couch. Brennan buried himself in a book of poetry and ignored her restless movements. Jesse read, re-read and triple read every file on Emma and other psionics. Lexa read for a while and then decided that since everybody was waiting for Emma to leave the room, she was going in to get a response out of Emma. She slipped into the room quietly and perched on the chair beside the bed. "Emma, I know you're not sleeping."

Emma regarded her quizzically. "So what do you want?"

"Nothing. I just though you might want someone to be here."

"Why? You've got Jesse. You've got my place on the team. I've got nothing." Emma sighed.

"Oh, come off it, Emma. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. They still love you. You're still a part of the team."

"What part? I have no powers left. They're gone. I've nothing left. Just memories and even those are faulty," Emma said bitterly. "Do you know what it is like to have a dream shattered? When I was unaware of who I was, pieces kept coming back to me, mostly impressions at first. Then all of a sudden, I know who I was and where I was from. I signed myself out of the hospital that next morning, to chase those memories down, to see if they were still true. Maybe it was a false dream, but it kept me going until I found what remained of Sanctuary, and the plaques with my name on one of them. I should have realized that my dream was gone then, but I was being bull-headed and selfish. I wanted my family back; Adam, Shalimar, Jesse, Brennan. Only my family isn't mine anymore. You're here now, not exactly in my place, but a part of it. No family, no powers. Nothing. I need to move on and make a new life for myself, away from here. Just give me a new identity and I'll be out of everybody's hair in the morning, " Emma ended cynically.

Lexa was surprised at the depth of feelings the younger woman exuded. She reached over and pulled Emma's chin up, so she could look her in her eyes. "Emma, that is far from the truth and you know it. You still have a place here. You still have a family here. I've fought them tooth and nail literally and figuratively to just be accepted by them. I didn't want this assignment at first. Those three grow on you after a while. Jesse even still has nightmares over you." She thought a second. "Your picture is even in their rooms. All I've heard from them is Emma this and Emma that. I can't possibly fit into your shoes here, and frankly I don't want to."

"Then what about you and Jesse?"

"That...well...it just happened. We didn't plan it. I didn't set out to have him take a piece of my heart. After Leo's death...," Lexa stopped as her eyes brimmed over with a few tears. "I have respect for the team, Emma. I've gained their respect finally. You still have their love, which I'll probably never get, other than what Jesse has shown me." She dropped her hand from Emma's chin. "From what I understand, you were giving so much and never took anything back. Why don't you let them help you, Emma? Figure out what's wrong with your head?" She tapped Emma's forehead for emphasis.

Emma pulled away. "No. I'm going to leave. I still shouldn't have ever come back."

"Emma, please, give it a few more days. You're in no condition to travel just yet. Let Jesse run those scans. Your old scans are on file there. Do it for him. No, wait do it for you. If it doesn't work, I'll personally see to getting you a new identify and setting you up wherever."

Lexa and Emma stared are each other, both torn by their decisions and feelings.

Finally, Emma slowly nodded. "Ok, we'll do it your way, Lexa."

"So, let's go do those scans, " Lexa stood up.

Emma shook her head. "I need to take a quick shower. I'll meet you there in a half hour."

Lexa came out of the room and let a triumphant grin cross her face. She gave a thumbs-up to Shalimar and Brennan as she walked into the lab. A short time later, she plopped onto the couch, Shalimar and Brennan eagerly waiting her explanation.

"Well?" Shalimar asked.

"Emma agreed to let Jesse run some scans, to figure out what is wrong with her psionics. Otherwise I'm to make her a new identity and she's out of here," Lexa said simply.

Shalimar's face fell and she said, "I wish Adam were here. He'd know what to do."

"Well, Adam isn't and Jesse is. We just have to trust Jesse now," Brennan interjected as he peered over his poetry book.

"Unless she asks, we should stay clear of the lab while she's in there. She's spooked enough as is," Lexa cautioned them.

Shalimar nodded and poked Brennan's foot. "Agreed. Brennan?"

"Yeah, whatever."

Shalimar headed into the kitchen area and warmed up some soup and fixed a tray with two bowls and drinks and left it beside Jesse with a meaningful look at him.

On time, Emma limped into the lab, slowly, reluctantly and fearfully, expecting somebody to accost her. She tentatively spoke into the silence, amid the whirl of the computers and fans, "Jesse?" Her voice shook a little.

He turned slowly and took in her appearance: damp hair from her recent shower, red rimmed eyes and nose from prolonged crying, and the scars, both shiny and flaky, from where the skin grafts had failed to hide the horrible burns from that night. Lexa had not told him everything about her talk with Emma, just that Emma was willing to have the scans run.

He was still unprepared for her appearance at close range under the harsh lights of the lab room; the bedroom had been darkened while he talked with her earlier. And definitely not prepared for a despondent and dejected looking Emma.

"Emma," was all he could manage while wrestling with his inner demons. Lexa had given him substance these past few months while he dealt with his guilt and grief over the young redhead who now stood in front of him. He loved both women in his way; which one did he love more? He didn't know. Which one did he want to stay with? Nobody, not even himself, knew that answer yet.

They stood like that for several minutes until Emma's stomach rumbled loudly. Jesse remembered the soup Shal had left for them and he pointed, saying, "Shal thought you might be hungry."

"So why two bowls?"

"I've developed Adams' bad habit of not eating and sleeping correctly for days on end, since you were last here. It's her way of making sure I eat too." He shrugged.

Emma laughed lightly, and then her face pinched in memory of her mentor, their father figure and friend. Jesse hopped up on a counter with his bowl of soup and pretended not to notice Emma's awkward gait, as she limped painfully across the room. After a few swallows, she remarked, "This is so much better than at the rehabilitation center, even if it is out of a can." She smiled briefly and then quickly composed her face. Once done, she cleared her throat expectantly. "Let's get this over with."

"Ok, Emma. Just sit there and get comfortable. Unfortunately the bio-chair was only at Sanctuary and..." he trailed off not wanting to finish that thought.

She tried to relax, but it was hard. Several of her muscles kept twitching periodically. Jesse slowly and precisely ran the hand-held scanner all over, picking up the details even his trained eye could not see.

He pulled her hair up and away from her neck, and swore lightly when Emma winced. There was an ugly surgical scar at the base of her neck. "Sorry," he muttered. Turning away, he downloaded everything from the scanner and pulled up her scan records on a different computer. He looked from one screen to another. The presence of one foreign object in her brain accounted for some of it. The second foreign object perplexed him, but seemed familiar somewhat.

"What is it, Jesse?" Emma had moved up beside him to look at the data.

He pointed at one set of pictures and started to explain. "During the explosion, you had several skull fractures, one here by the frontal lobe, and two back by the cerebellum. Apparently they inserted a shunt to drain the fluid off and keep the pressure down while your brain healed from it. However, that doesn't explain your loss of powers. And there is a second foreign object that was inserted through one of the shunts and is lodged in your limbic system, there." He pointed at another spot. "I think I can disable it, but without another trained pair of hands, like Adam's, I cannot remove it. Your scars I can minimize with a combination of lasers but it will take a while, because I can't treat your whole body at once and you'd have to recover in between treatments."

Jesse was deep in thought about the device inside Emma's head and he didn't hear her questions at first until she bumped his arm. "Jesse? What sort of device is it?"

"What? Oh, it seems to be a sophisticated governor, only meant to be internal, not external like the sub dermal ones. We removed a simpler one on Lexa a while back that the Dominion had inserted."

Emma was quiet. She wasn't quite sure whether to laugh or cry at Jesse's prognosis of her powers.

"Ok, treat my burns. I need to think about the other problem awhile." She finally said. She really wanted to look less like a monster than have her powers back right at the moment.

Jesse nodded and indicated for her to hop on to the exam table. "Now, you're going to want to rest after I'm done, while the skin heals. I'm going to start with your left shoulder and arm." He bustled around getting some creams and ointments, as well as setting up the laser pointer for the proper setting. Emma slipped her left arm out of her t-shirt and pulled the sheet up higher around her.

As he spread the cold cream over the burns and scars of her left arm, their eyes met briefly. Emma's were cold and calculating; Jesse's were concerned and cautious. Emma shivered from the exposure to the cool cream. Jesse looked away and used the laser pen on her scars, quickly and precisely. About ten minutes later, he was wiping the cold cream off and applying a second cream. "This had better work. It's supposed to be made from the scrapings inside snail shells." Emma giggled drowsily, "The poor snails!" Jesse was right; this was tiring.

Jesse carefully covered her with the sheet, and told her softly, "Rest now, Emma. It's going to swell for a while." He dimmed the lights and left her in there with the door slightly ajar. "Call if you need anything. We'll be right there to get it." Emma obediently closed her eyes and rested as her body protested and healed from the harsh assault of the laser. A few tears slipped unbidden from her eyes, but for the first time that day, they were happy tears. She soon slept, not quite peacefully, but at least a bit better emotionally.

Shalimar appointed herself the vigil keeper and paced the hallway from the kitchen to the living room; to the doorway where Emma lay recovering from the first burn treatment. She fervently hoped that Jesse had the correct combination for Emma's sake primarily and all of their sakes. The idea of an internal governor scared her immensely – much more so when Jesse admitted he couldn't remove it by himself. They sorely missed Adam, once again. Perhaps one of him survived the explosion. It happened once before, they were all thinking. It could happen again. Fate sure had funny ways of twisting their lives around.

Meanwhile, Lexa had buried herself into researching about the governor in Emma. They had her old one still. As Shalimar walked past her, yet again, she looked up in great disdain. "Shal, you're going to wear a trench in the floor with all your pacing. Emma will call if she needs something. Sit. You're making me nervous..."

In the midst of her speech, there was a buzz from one of the computers. Lexa spun around to check it out and her eyes widened as Adam's face filled the screen. "Adam?" she asked cautiously. Shalimar jumped over the couch to see what the matter was. She choked when she recognized Adam's face.

Adam regarded the two of them before speaking, "Lexa. Shalimar. Did Brennan and Jessed make it out too?" He asked hurriedly.

"Yes, we did, Adam," Brennan answered as he came over with Jesse close behind. "Are you Adam the Clone or the Creator?" Jesse asked.

Adam continued with a slight smile, ""I don't think of myself in either way. I'm the one who's been your friend for many years." He looked down at something below their screen vision. "I should only be picking up 4 people. There's a fifth one, who's there with you?"

Shalimar looked at the others before answering; their brief nods indicated they were agreed with her not to mention Emma just yet. "A young woman who was burned badly. Jesse's been treating her burns." Lexa rolled her eyes at the lie, but didn't say anything.

"Is she stable enough to travel? I need you to meet me at these coordinates in forty-eight hours, so we can decide our next steps." A file was downloaded while he talked.

"I don't know, Adam. She was badly burned with second and third degree burns," Jesse volunteered.

"Get her to a hospital with a good burn unit, and meet me here in two days, "Adam urged him.

Unbeknownst to the four gathered around the computer screen, Emma had tried calling for someone to help her go to the bathroom. When noone answered she slipped out of lab and was making her way to the bathroom to relieve herself.

Hearing voices, she stopped briefly in the doorframe to rest a minute before continuing on. Her ears and eyes took in the scene of them talking to someone on the computer. Someone who she had believed was dead. Excitement overruled common sense and Emma took off running, albeit with a pronounced limp. By the time she reached the small group, she was crying some, "Adam? It that really you?"

The others stood around nervously and disgusted by Emma's sudden appearance. Shalimar just ended up shrugging as Adam uttered, "My god, Emma. What happened?"


	5. Terrors in the Night: Act IV

**Terrors in the Night**

"Adam?"

"My God, Emma! What happened?"

Lexa vacated a chair and gently pushed Emma into it when she swayed on her feet.

"The Naxcom explosion, Adam. I was burnt badly as you can probably see, and didn't know who I was until last week, "Emma said between her tears.

"Oh, Emma. I'm so sorry," Adam said as his eyes turned to Jesse. "So, this is the 'burn victim', Jesse." Adam coughed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, Adam," Jesse gulped nervously for deceiving his mentor and being caught at it.

"I understand why, Jesse. I must go now before this transmission is traced. I'll be in touch."

And as quick as he appeared, Adam's face was gone. Emma sagged in the chair visibly, spent by the shock and then she remembered why she was up in the first place. "Shal? Could you help me to the bathroom before my bladder bursts?" She asked softly. Shalimar jumped up eager to help and to rid of the icy stares the rest of the team directed at Emma for her interruption of Adam's cyber visit.

Emma leaned gratefully against her friend as she limped to the bathroom. "Don't go, Shal," she requested when Shal turned to leave her alone. "I don't want to be myself anymore," her voice was just above a whisper, but Shal heard her anyway, so she perched on the side of the tub as she waited, discretely not looking Emma's way.

A few minutes passed with neither girl talking.

Emma looked over at Shal. "Shal?"

"Hmmh?"

"Do you want me to stay?" Emma's voice sounded like a scared little girl.

"Oh, honey, of course I do. I've missed you terribly. If we had known you were still alive, we'd've come and sprung you out immediately."

Emma was only a little heartened by Shal's response. Too many things were going through her head for her to think straight and with her powers being kaput; she didn't have any of her normal input. She sighed as she stood up, and walked the short distance over to where Shal was perched. She pulled her shirt away to examine where Jesse had treated it with a laser, sighing yet again when she didn't see any difference yet.

Shal cringed inadvertently as she watched Emma's reflection in the mirror as she examined her shoulder and arm. Instinctually, she knew words wouldn't be enough for someone who was used to feeling every thing. Keeping her repugnance under control, she reached over and enveloped Emma in the biggest hug she could muster, ignoring her slowly dampening shoulder from Emma's silent tears.

"Feel up for some more food," she asked when Emma stopped shaking. Emma raised her head and looked Shal in the face before answering, "Not really. I'm ready to go back to sleep." She looked a little sheepish.

Shal ignored Emma's face as she stood up, "I'll come tuck you in." Emma smiled briefly.

In the bedroom Emma tried to ask Shal something but she stumbled over the words. Shalimar waited patiently for her. Blushing, Emma finally got the words out in a rush and then pulled the covers over her head, "Stay with me tonight, Shal. I don't want to be alone just now."

Shal's heart warmed for her younger friend. "Alright, Emma. Let me go let the others know, and get a more comfortable outfit."

Shalimar found Brennan and broke the news to him gently that he wouldn't have a bedmate tonight. "Sorry, but Emma asked and I don't trust her frame of mind just yet." She grabbed some t-shirts and went to inform Jesse and Lexa of Emma's request. Jesse looked visibly relieved that he wouldn't be needed for checking on Emma during the night. Lexa looked a little happier too for some reason. Shal quickly made her way back, tossing the extra t-shirt to Emma when she entered the room. "I'm under strict orders to get one of them up immediately," she giggled as she stepped behind the bathroom door to change, allowing Emma some time to change herself. Shal stepped back into the room and found Emma half-undressed and studying her various disfigurements, burns and scars.

She tsked with her tongue. "Don't dwell on it, Emma. Between Jesse and Adam, they'll have you looking like the old Emma in no time at all. " Shal slipped under the covers and was mildly surprised when Emma rolled over without putting her shirt on. She seemed to be struggling with her words again. She grabbed Shal's hand first, gulped and started talking finally, "Shal, I want to feel again, even if it is just pain at first. I want someone to look at me, hold me, and not be grossed out by my scars. I want to feel alive again!" Emma moved Shal's hand up to her bare breast. Shal initially pulled back, not denying to herself that it felt good under her palm, but surprised at Emma's boldness. "I want to make love with someone I trust, and feel it all over. I want to feel alive!" She repeated herself as she begged Shalimar.

Shalimar was confused. Was Emma asking her? Or did she want her to get one of the guys? "What do you want, Emma?" she asked, feeling something starting, but not willing to give into it.

"I want you," Emma's voice was barely above a whisper. "I never said anything before because there was other things to distract us. I've had time to reflect on what has happened to me, the things I've missed out on, and I'm not about to give up on some of those. I thought it was Jesse that I wanted, but seeing you earlier brought those feelings back up to the surface." She searched Shal's eyes to see if there was any response, being unable to 'feel' anything from her.

Shal hesitated. She couldn't deny her feelings either, but this was going a bit fast for her. "Are you sure, Emma, that this is what you want?"

Emma nodded and leaned over, her lips brushing Shal's gently. "More than anything else, Shal. I couldn't handle a male right now anyway, not with all the damage to my body. I want you." She pulled Shal's hand up to kiss it. "Please?"

Shal still resisted. Part of her brain reminded her that she had a relationship with Brennan. Part of her yearned for the young girl, no, woman in front of her. She could smell Emma's arousal and it was making her heady. "Let me think about it, Emma. This is kind of sudden for me." She hoped she was turning Emma down gently, with her mental facilities impaired at the moment they didn't need for Emma to go off the deep end, and definitely not over her. Noticing the tension in Emma's shoulders, she remarked, "What you need right now is a gentle massage and to get some sleep before Jesse does another treatment on your burns." She nudged Emma onto her side and pulled the t-shirt down over Emma's head, keeping it up high on her shoulders. Shalimar rubbed her back, careful not to hit some of the more painful looking burns and scars. Pretty soon, Emma was spooned up against her, t-shirt pulled down for modesty and fast asleep with a content smile on her face. Shal pecked Emma's check and pulled the covers up over them as she slid down into a more comfortable position without disturbing Emma in the meantime. She rested her arm across Emma's hip as they slept.

_Explosion. Shock. What was that?_

_Fire. Shock._

_Pain. All over. Burning, searing, sharp._

_Hard to breathe. Why is it hard to breathe? Breathe in, breathe out. Cough. Cough._

_Screams around her. Why are there screams?_

'_One, two, three.' _

_Coldness against her chest. Why was everything so cold and hot at the same time?_

'_I've done all I could for her.' An unknown male voice sounded at her left side._

'_No, no, no, no,' a female voice screamed that reminded her of Shalimar's purr came from behind her head._

'_Shalimar, no. She's gone!' a male voice that was garbled. 'We have to go now.'_

_Tears. Salty tears. Why couldn't she cry? Why was Shalimar screaming?_

_Screams. Who's screaming?_

_Metal against metal._

_Blackness._

_Silence._

_Blissful silence._

_Peaceful silence._

_Sharp pain. Ow! Why am I looking at this tiled floor? 'Hold on, she's coming around. Need more anesthetic, nurse. Now!'_

_Nothing._

_No sounds._

_No voices._

_Just clicks. Swooshes. Hums._

_Pain. Pain. Everywhere._

Emma woke up screaming, incoherent and uncertain of where she was. It was that same dream that had enveloped her for the last few months.

Shalimar woke up and found Emma staring blankly, while still screaming, her t-shirt soaked with sweat. She reached over and held Emma tightly. "Sh! Emma, it's me. Shalimar. I've got you." She held Emma who started flailing her arms and looking for all the world like a little frightened girl. Shal's heart poured out for her. "Sh! Emma, it's just a nightmare," she crooned. Emma finally settled down and crawled onto Shalimar's lap and held on for dear life, sobbing silently, which frightened Shal more than the nightmare.


	6. Shattering the Mirror: Act V

**Act V: Shattering the Mirror**

_Late that evening_

A news article caught Jesse's eye while he was up researching how to disable the device in Emma's head: _Local girl graduates from American School in Geneva, Switzerland. Kallista A. Pierce, 16, daughter of Major Alexander and Captain Lynda Pierce recently graduated cum laude. _

Jesse scanned the article and printed it out for Lexa to read later. The coincidences in the names were uncanny.

_A short time later_

Lexa read the article and was not amused. A line sunk her hopes that it wasn't a joke. _The Pierces also have a son and daughter, Leonardo and Alexandra._ Lexa crumbled up the printout.

"Funny, Jesse. Pierce is a common name." She faked throwing the paper away and saved it for reading it again later. "So that's why they sent us away when they did," she muttered to herself.

When Jesse took a break, she pulled up more information on this Kallista, her little sister, that she never knew about: accomplished sharpshooter and marksman, various junior R.O.T.C. awards, accomplished pianist, and a name that made Lexa's blood curdle, General Thomas McMiller, the same general that she and Leo fled from years earlier. But something nagged at Lexa about the girl, and she delved deeper, even checking Adam's and Genomex's databases. Finally she found it: Project Replicate. The premise was that a mother's body produced certain antibodies during a pregnancy and if specific conditions were met, the second pregnancy also carried the same exact genes. The effect had been studied in mothers treated by Genomex over a 15-year period for the subsequent pregnancies. Few mothers had the second pregnancies. Of that last group, Lynda Pierce was included under the group who had twins, as the very last mother followed. The date of the second delivery: December 29, 1988. Lexa and Leo were twelve years old then. Lexa remembered little about that year, other than her mother took ill and was gone a lot.

Lexa heard someone coming back into the room and she cleared out the cache of her research.

_The next morning_

First thing in the morning, Lexa checked her email. She had a message from Lindsay Miller and the subject was "Your little sister." If she had not have done the research earlier, Lexa would have deleted the email. She opened it and read carefully. Lindsay asked her to come get her sister as soon as possible.

Lexa sat back, perplexed and stunned. The words on the screen were not what she expected. She read them again. The writer of the email was somebody Lexa partially trusted. Lindsay Miller had trained with her and Leo, along with her own twin Lorelai, at the military camp and then later on they both worked for the Dominion. They had kept their confidence when the Pierces' screwed up and showed their powers in front of the General. Back when she was young and foolish, and had Leo around to help keep her sane.

Lindsay had included several documents; among them was the girl's birth certificate, with the very same birth date she had found earlier. Lexa reread the end of the email: "Lexa, verify them before you make a decision. However, I needed to add this fact: the General has been attempting to test Kaylee as she has all the genetic markers of both you and Leo in her. Some of those tests have been quite unethical to say the least. Your mom took us into her confidence about Kaylee a year ago in case anything happened to them. No one has heard from your parents since October. Lors and I have been moonlighting in the General's office (yes, I know so stop rolling your eyes). We haven't been able to locate them. Please, Lexa. Don't let your only other sibling fall victim to the General."

Lexa was quite angry by this point. She pulled up the documents and studied them carefully.

"A penny for your thoughts," Jesse's voice broke through her concentration. She quickly blanked the screen before Jesse could see what was there. Jesse shrugged. He was used to Lexa's secrecy at times. "What is it, Jesse?" Lexa said evenly.

"Adam wants us to meet him in an hour."

"Thanks, I'll be finished here in a few minutes." Lexa waited for Jesse to leave before turning back to the computer.

The dates on the birth certificated bothered her the most. Two years before she and Leo were sent away to military camp. _Why didn't she know about this girl, this Kaylee?_ She suddenly remembered that they had not seen their parents much during those two years. Her mother had some sudden illness during that time, if Lexa recalled correctly. _Illness, my foot!_ That almost made her laugh. The next set of documents angered her though. _A boarding school in Switzerland? Private Piano lessons? National Rifle Association Cards? _Perfect marksmanship, she noted with a snort. At least if this girl was really a Pierce, she had the accuracy down pat. Reflecting on it all, it stank horribly of the General's meddling plans, especially with the schooling elsewhere. Lexa sighed and closed out the documents. Lindsay deserved an answer though and she sent it: "I'll be in touch. Situation too hot right now." Adam might have some answers later.

Lexa quickly got ready and met the rest of the team in the garage. Jesse had given Emma another laser treatment, including a sedative, as he did not want her to move around much during the ride to meet Adam.

Brennan took the wheel and said, "Everybody ready? Jess, you have the coordinates."

Various nods and murmurs met Brennan's questions.

They drove in silence with Brennan and Jesse in the front and the three women in the back seat, with Emma in the middle, sleeping. Shal looked uncomfortable and Lexa kept her usual stony face up.

Arriving at the appointed spot about five minutes early, Shalimar and Brennan jumped out to stretch their legs. Jesse turned around to check on Emma, who remained sleeping deeply. Lexa hopped out and leaned against the front bumper of the SUV.

Adam soon drove up in a smaller SUV. It seems he had raided the other safe houses too of a vehicle. Shalimar and Brennan quickly ran up and hugs ensued. Emma woke up long enough to get her hug from Adam. He left her in that SUV while he gave the others coordinates to a second location.

"Lexa, Jesse can ride with me, while Brennan and Shal take the other car. Do you mind keeping an eye on Emma, Shal?" The group nodded. "Take the route I've downloaded and we'll meet there in about 45 minutes. I don't trust anybody to take us in directly." He gave Shal a quick hug and hopped into the SUV with Lexa and Jesse.

After driving for about twenty minutes, Lexa asked casually, "Does the name Kallista Amethyst mean anything to you, Adam?"

Adam looked at her before answering, "I've ran across that name a few times. Doesn't she play piano over in Europe?" He kept his voice light. Lexa's questioning usually lead to something and he didn't know how much she actually knew about the girl.

Lexa regarded Adam carefully. "You know who her parents are then?"

"Yes. They were a couple of repeat volunteers at Genomex. I didn't get to treat many returnees, so they stuck out in my mind. I believe the first pregnancy resulted in twins."

Lexa looked out the window distractedly and fell silent, digesting this information. She would have to question Adam further when nobody was around. Jesse was quite perplexed with the whole conversation. He wondered briefly if this line of questioning had anything to do with what he had read over Lexa's shoulder when she wasn't paying attention to him earlier.

They made it to Adam's hideout with no further problems. Emma thankfully slept the whole trip. Brennan carried her out of the car and into the new building before she awoke again. Once inside, Adam ran a new scan. "Jesse, you've done a good job. See where there's normal pink tissue showing along her shoulder!" Jesse looked over and nodded. Adam ran his hands through his hair. He turned and looked at the printouts on the governor device and sighed several times.

He pulled Jesse off to the side. "You were right. This is more complicated then Lexa's device. I'll have to look at it more before I can do anything about it." Jesse looked over at Emma, who was dozing again, and said sadly. "Do you think we can get it out of her safely?"

"I hope so."

Shalimar swore loudly as she burnt her hand on the oven door. She ran some cold water over it to ease the sting. Brennan laughed lightly from the corner of the makeshift kitchen. Shal waited until he walked over and then she splashed him with water. He sputtered and jumped back. "Shal!" he protested.

"That's for laughing!"

He grabbed her hand and examined it closely. Kissing it, he concluded, "All better now?" He did not notice Shal stiffening at his simple gesture.

"Pull the meat out, would you?" She asked as she turned away. Last night's conversation with Emma had her unsettled and troubled. She did not know what she wanted anymore. "I'm going to see if Adam has any ointment for this," she called over her shoulder as she hurried into the new med-lab.

Jesse and Adam were intently arguing about which laser treatment was better. "Adam, do you have something for a burn?" she interrupted.

Adam looked up, "What happened?"

"Your cantankerous oven door," Shal grinned and held her hand up. Adam nodded. He pulled out a few drawers before he found the tube of ointment and handed it to her. She gooped her hand liberally, sighing as the pain subsided. "How's Emma?"

Jesse looked over at a curtain. "Still sleeping."

"I upped her treatments." Adam explained. "If only we had known about her sooner. She's built up a lot of scar tissue from the conventional treatment they gave her." A new wrinkle appeared on his forehead, Shal noted with concern. He yawned broadly.

"You need to eat some of my chicken that I got burnt for, and then catch some sleep, Adam," Shal admonished like a mother hen clucking over her brood. Adam started to protest, but saw the determination in both their eyes and relented.

"Alright, alright. I'll catch a nap until Emma's next treatment."

As soon as everybody was occupied that afternoon, Lexa slipped outside and took one of the SUV's. She just had to find out for herself if she did have a little sister. Driving along the streets she had not been on since she was a young teenager, she soon drove up near to her parent's house just off the military base. The old mailbox was still there, bearing the name "Pierce" for all to see. The day she and Leo put that mailbox was recalled as she sat there, motionless and quiet. Her father had scrutinized the whole operation from buying the mailbox to putting it and making sure it was level. Lexa's heart started beating faster as she remembered her frustration that day.

A young teenaged girl walked down the driveway and opened up the mailbox to check the mail. Lexa observed the profile and her heart sank further. Other than the girl's hair color, she recognized her father's build and her mother's face. She was just about to engage the car and go meet the girl when 2 black SUV's came out of nowhere and stopped fore and aft of the girl. A door opened and grabbed the young girl, clamping a hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Lexa sat there in stunned silence until she realized what was happening. Squealing the tires, she took off after the two vehicles.

About the same time, Adam called her on the com-link, "Lexa, where are you?"

"Adam, I'm…" Lexa was at a loss for words. She thought quickly. "Remember Kallista we were talking about earlier. I think the General has just kidnapped her. I'm in pursuit!"

"Need some backup?" Adam asked even if Lexa wouldn't take it.

"Not yet," Lexa broke off the connection, or thought she did. "If they hurt my sister before I get a chance to meet her, I'm going to kill somebody."

Adam ran his hands through his hair as he listened to Lexa's mutterings. He caught her concerns for the younger girl, even though she didn't say it to him. He decided to wait until Lexa asked for help with Kallista.

"Where's Lexa?" Jesse asked, breaking into Adam's thoughts.

Adam looked over at Jesse before answering, "She's taking care of some personal business. She should be in touch soon."

Jesse looked around before asking quietly, "Is this about that young Pierce girl I found an article about?"

Adam nodded slowly, deep in thought.

"Great. Just great." He threw some papers down on the desk. "Well, I guess I should continue that research into figuring out how to rid Emma of the device."

As if on cue, Emma's voice was heard from the other room. "Adam? Jesse?"

"Coming, Emma." Adam left to check on her.


End file.
